Masking

Modeling Subjects Aircraft
1

What’s the best way to mask a perfectly straight line around eg the nose of a P47. Tape obviously doesn’t meet at the same point it starts at due to the irregular shape.
Thanks for any help anyone can provide. (Any other masking tips gratefully received).
Thanks,

2

you can try drawing the line with pencil and using shorter pieces of tape

not sure if it would come out great though, with paint possibly getting through where the tape overlaps…

3

I hope I can explain this so it makes sense.

  1. Put tape around the entire nose.
  2. Get a thick book, and a strait razor blade.
  3. Place the book and nose on a flat surface.
  4. Put the razor blade in the book at the desired height.
  5. Then just spin the nose cutting the tape at the height required.
    Hope that helps.
4

I was told once, if you want to do those less complex cameo schemes like the ones for the A-10. Using thin card baord like the cardboard that makes up the boxes that the models come in, and score into the card board the cameo scheme, then tear out the scheme leaving the soft rip, and spray over that onto your plane…giving you those “soft edges”

5

Port34, I’ve had great experiences using electrical tape on oddball curves! If you keep it taught as you put the tape on, it will adhere nicely and also keep a nice straight line such as the one needed when painting the nose of a P-47. If the contours are a little tricky then I’ll cut the tape in half length-wise before applying. The thinner piece will be even easier to work with than the wider piece. Best of all, I’ve left electrical tape on for quite a while (a couple of days) and it did not leave any residue. Try it. I think you’ll like it.

6

Something else to try:
You can use plastic food wrap by putting a small hole in the wrap and then pushing the nose of your plane through the hole. It will stretch as you pull it up the nose and should create a pretty good mask for painting. I’ve sorta caught onto the idea of using plastic food wrap for masking lately because it is so cheap and you can use big pieces to protect the rest of the kit from overspray, etc.

M.

7

Tried the electrical tape. Worked perfectly!
Thanks,
PD